75% of operators still haven’t received Omicron Grants
A snap poll of 147 The Morning Advertiser readers found just one in four (25%) had received the cash.
However, the proportion of operators who have now received the grant compared to January has increased as a survey of 143 readers then found 95% had not received the money.
The grants of up to £6,000 are per site and based on the rateable value of each venue. It has been worked out in three bands, which are:
- Rateable value of £0 to £15,000, grant available is £2,667
- Pubs with a £15,000 to £51,000 rateable value can claim £4,000
- The full grant of £6,000 is open to those with a rateable value of more than £51,000
Still available
This comes after the Government revealed more than £550m worth of the funding had not been distributed.
Business minister Paul Scully urged operators to apply for the grants if they hadn’t done so already at The Morning Advertiser’s MA Leaders Club conference last month (Thursday 24 February).
At the conference, Scully said: “That support is still available to those who haven’t applied and as of last week, there are still £556m worth of Hospitality and Leisure Grants to be distributed by local authorities.
“Local authorities have also got remaining another £300m in discretionary funding as well."
Cashflow is everything
The minister said: “The Government is working with local authorities, I’m ringing them up and trying to see what their biggest barriers are [when] handing out that money because cashflow is absolutely everything.”
Scully went on to outline how the Government wants to support the sector, mentioning the Hospitality Strategy, which was launched last year, and the Hospitality Sector Council.
He added: “You guys know how to drive footfall, you guys know how to drive custom and I want to be able to support you in being able to do that rather than wagging a finger and telling you how to do your own job.”
